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Beyond the Universe
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Facts about the Universe that will make you feel extremely small
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/84375505/
The Higgs Boson aka God Particle
It was created at the very beginning moments of the big bang. It essentially is the particle that gave mass to the known universe. It was proven to exist 2 years ago with a machine used to create the big bang on a much smaller scale. The machine used is 16miles in circumference and creates tiny "big bangs" on a microscopic scale. The Higgs boson or Higgs particle is an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics. Its main relevance is that it allows scientists to explore the Higgs field[6][7] – a fundamental field first suspected to exist in the 1960s that unlike the more familiar electromagnetic field cannot be "turned off", but instead takes a non-zero constant value almost everywhere. The presence of this field – now believed to be confirmed – explains why some fundamental particles have mass even though the symmetries controlling their interactions should require them to be massless, and also answers several other long-standing puzzles in physics, such as the reason the weak force has a much shorter range than the electromagnetic force.Despite being present everywhere, the existence of the Higgs field is very hard to confirm. It can be detected through its excitations (i.e. Higgs particles), but these are extremely hard to produce and detect. The importance of this fundamental question led to a 40 year search for this elusive particle, and the construction of one of the world's most expensive and complex experimental facilities to date, CERN's Large Hadron Collider,[8] able to create Higgs bosons and other particles for observation and study. On 4 July 2012, the discovery of a new particle with a mass between 125 and 127 GeV/c2 was announced; physicists suspected that it was the Higgs boson.[9][10][11] By March 2013, the particle had been proven to behave, interact and decay in many of the ways predicted by the Standard Model, and was also tentatively confirmed to have positive parity and zero spin,[1] two fundamental attributes of a Higgs boson. This appears to be the first elementary scalar particle discovered in nature.[12] More data is needed to know if the discovered particle exactly matches the predictions of the Standard Model, or whether, as predicted by some theories, multiple Higgs bosons exist.[3]The Higgs boson is named after Peter Higgs, one of six physicists who, in 1964, proposed the mechanism that suggested the existence of such a particle. Although Higgs's name has come to be associated with this theory, several researchers between about 1960 and 1972 each independently developed different parts of it. In mainstream media the Higgs boson has often been called the "God particle", from a 1993 book on the topic; the nickname is strongly disliked by many physicists, including Higgs, who regard it as inappropriate sensationalism.[13][14] On December 10, 2013 two of the original researchers, Peter Higgs and François Englert, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work and prediction.[15] Englert's co-researcher Robert Brout had died in 2011 and the Nobel Prize is not ordinarily given posthumously.In the Standard Model, the Higgs particle is a boson with no spin, electric charge, or colour charge. It is also very unstable, decaying into other particles almost immediately. It is a quantum excitation of one of the four components of the Higgs field. The latter constitutes a scalar field, with two neutral and two electrically charged components, and forms a complex doublet of the weak isospin SU(2) symmetry. The field has a "Mexican hat" shaped potential with nonzero strength everywhere (including otherwise empty space), which in its vacuum state breaks the weak isospin symmetry of the electroweak interaction. When this happens, three components of the Higgs field are "absorbed" by the SU(2) and U(1) gauge bosons (the "Higgs mechanism") to become the longitudinal components of the now-massive W and Z bosons of the weak force. The remaining electrically neutral component separately couples to other particles known as fermions (via Yukawa couplings), causing these to acquire mass as well. Some versions of the theory predict more than one kind of Higgs fields and bosons. Alternative "Higgsless" models would have been considered if the Higgs boson was not discovered. Question: "What is the God particle?" Answer: The "God particle" is the nickname of a subatomic particle called the Higgs boson. In layman’s terms, different subatomic particles are responsible for giving matter different properties. One of the most mysterious and important properties is mass. Some particles, like protons and neutrons, have mass. Others, like photons, do not. The Higgs boson, or “God particle,” is believed to be the particle which gives mass to matter. The “God particle” nickname grew out of the long, drawn-out struggles of physicists to find this elusive piece of the cosmic puzzle. What follows is a very brief, very simplified explanation of how the Higgs boson fits into modern physics, and how science is attempting to study it. The “standard model” of particle physics is a system that attempts to describe the forces, components, and reactions of the basic particles that make up matter. It not only deals with atoms and their components, but the pieces that compose some subatomic particles. This model does have some major gaps, including gravity, and some experimental contradictions. The standard model is still a very good method of understanding particle physics, and it continues to improve. The model predicts that there are certain elementary particles even smaller than protons and neutrons. As of the date of this writing, the only particle predicted by the model which has not been experimentally verified is the “Higgs boson,” jokingly referred to as the “God particle.” Each of the subatomic particles contributes to the forces that cause all matter interactions. One of the most important, but least understood, aspects of matter is mass. Science is not entirely sure why some particles seem mass-less, like photons, and others are “massive.” The standard model predicts that there is an elementary particle, the Higgs boson, which would produce the effect of mass. Confirmation of the Higgs boson would be a major milestone in our understanding of physics. The “God particle” nickname actually arose when the book The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question? by Leon Lederman was published. Since then, it’s taken on a life of its own, in part because of the monumental questions about matter that the God particle might be able to answer. The man who first proposed the Higgs boson’s existence, Peter Higgs, isn’t all that amused by the nickname “God particle,” as he’s an avowed atheist. All the same, there isn’t really any religious intention behind the nickname. Currently, efforts are under way to confirm the Higgs boson using the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator in Switzerland, which should be able to confirm or refute the existence of the God particle. As with any scientific discovery, God’s amazing creation becomes more and more impressive as we learn more about it. Either result—that the Higgs boson exists, or does not exist—represents a step forward in human knowledge and another step forward in our appreciation of God’s awe-inspiring universe. Whether or not there is a “God particle,” we know this about Christ: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible . . . all things were created by him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/God-particle...z3RH6QX6qH
Credit to Tigerluver
Life 'not as we know it' possible on Saturn's moon TitanFeb 27, 2015 by Byanne Ju  *This image is copyright of its original author *This image is copyright of its original authorA new type of methane-based, oxygen-free life form that can metabolize and reproduce similar to life on Earth has been modeled by a team of Cornell University researchers. Taking a simultaneously imaginative and rigidly scientific view, chemical engineers and astronomers offer a template for life that could thrive in a harsh, cold world - specifically Titan, the giant moon of Saturn. A planetary body awash with seas not of water, but of liquid methane, Titan could harbor methane-based, oxygen-free cells. Their theorized cell membrane, composed of small organic nitrogen compounds and capable of functioning in liquid methane temperatures of 292 degrees below zero, is published in Science Advances, Feb. 27. The work is led by chemical molecular dynamics expert Paulette Clancy and first author James Stevenson, a graduate student in chemical engineering. The paper's co-author is Jonathan Lunine, director for Cornell's Center for Radiophysics and Space Research. Lunine is an expert on Saturn's moons and an interdisciplinary scientist on the Cassini-Huygens mission that discovered methane-ethane seas on Titan. Intrigued by the possibilities of methane-based life on Titan, and armed with a grant from the Templeton Foundation to study non-aqueous life, Lunine sought assistance about a year ago from Cornell faculty with expertise in chemical modeling. Clancy, who had never met Lunine, offered to help. "We're not biologists, and we're not astronomers, but we had the right tools," Clancy said. "Perhaps it helped, because we didn't come in with any preconceptions about what should be in a membrane and what shouldn't. We just worked with the compounds that we knew were there and asked, 'If this was your palette, what can you make out of that?'" On Earth, life is based on the phospholipid bilayer membrane, the strong, permeable, water-based vesicle that houses the organic matter of every cell. A vesicle made from such a membrane is called a liposome. Thus, many astronomers seek extraterrestrial life in what's called the circumstellar habitable zone, the narrow band around the sun in which liquid water can exist. But what if cells weren't based on water, but on methane, which has a much lower freezing point? The engineers named their theorized cell membrane an "azotosome," "azote" being the French word for nitrogen. "Liposome" comes from the Greek "lipos" and "soma" to mean "lipid body;" by analogy, "azotosome" means "nitrogen body." The azotosome is made from nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen molecules known to exist in the cryogenic seas of Titan, but shows the same stability and flexibility that Earth's analogous liposome does. This came as a surprise to chemists like Clancy and Stevenson, who had never thought about the mechanics of cell stability before; they usually study semiconductors, not cells. The engineers employed a molecular dynamics method that screened for candidate compounds from methane for self-assembly into membrane-like structures. The most promising compound they found is an acrylonitrile azotosome, which showed good stability, a strong barrier to decomposition, and a flexibility similar to that of phospholipid membranes on Earth. Acrylonitrile - a colorless, poisonous, liquid organic compound used in the manufacture of acrylic fibers, resins and thermoplastics - is present in Titan's atmosphere. Excited by the initial proof of concept, Clancy said the next step is to try and demonstrate how these cells would behave in the methane environment - what might be the analogue to reproduction and metabolism in oxygen-free, methane-based cells. Lunine looks forward to the long-term prospect of testing these ideas on Titan itself, as he put it, by "someday sending a probe to float on the seas of this amazing moon and directly sampling the organics. "Stevenson said he was in part inspired by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who wrote about the concept of non-water-based life in a 1962 essay, "Not as We Know It."Said Stevenson: "Ours is the first concrete blueprint of life not as we know it."  *This image is copyright of its original author *This image is copyright of its original authorExplore further: Cassini nears 100th Titan flyby with a look backMore information: Science Advances 27 Feb 2015: Vol. 1 no. 1 e1400067advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/1/e1400067Provided by Cornell University Link: http://phys.org/news/2015-02-life-saturn...titan.html Not exactly what keeps the phenomenon so intriguing, but a more evidence based approach to the situation. 
'Habitable' planet GJ 581d previously dismissed as noise probably does exist
Date: March 6, 2015 Source: Queen Mary, University of London Summary: A new report has dismissed claims made last year that the first super-Earth planet discovered in the habitable zone of a distant star was 'stellar activity masquerading as planets.' The researchers are confident the planet named GJ 581d, identified in 2009 orbiting the star Gliese 581, does exist, and that last year's claim was triggered by inadequate analysis of the data.  *This image is copyright of its original author Researchers are confident the planet named GJ 581d, identified in 2009 orbiting the star Gliese 581, does exist, and that last year's claim was triggered by inadequate analyses of the data. The planet candidate was spotted using a spectrometer which measures the 'wobble', small changes in the wavelength of light emitted by a star, caused as a planet orbits it. In 2014 researchers revisiting the data said that the 'planet' was actually just noise in the data caused by starspots. The possible existence of the planet was widely dismissed without further questioning. But now researchers from QMUL and University of Hertfordshire have questioned the methods used to challenge the planet's existence. The statistical technique used in the 2014 research to account for stellar activity is simply inadequate for identifying small planets like GJ 581d. The method used before has worked when identifying larger planets in the past because their effect on the star was so significant as to negate errors in the findings. However, it makes it almost impossible to find the smallest planet signals close to or within the noise caused by the stellar own variability. Using a more accurate model on the existing data the researchers are highly confident that the signal of GJ 581d is a real one, despite stellar variability. Leading author of the paper, Dr Guillem Anglada-Escudé, said: "The existence (or not) of GJ 581d is significant because it was the first Earth-like planet discovered in the 'Goldilocks'-zone around another star and it is a benchmark case for the Doppler technique. "There are always discussions among scientists about the ways we interpret data but I'm confident that GJ 581d has been in orbit around Gliese 581 all along. In any case, the strength of their statement was way too strong. If they way to treat the data had been right, then some planet search projects at several ground-based observatories would need to be significantly revised as they are all aiming to detect even smaller planets. One needs to be more careful with these kind of claims." Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201...102602.htm With all these habitable planets, it may be a real possibility that at least microscopic, simple life exists elsewhere. A few experiments were able to synthesize components necessarily for life rather quickly.
A fun psuedo-documentary on a hypothetical alien planet. They really went out there to come up with their organisms. Albeit, a current theory proposes that life on other planets would likely look similar to our's based on convergent evolution, as the physics is the same, and thus the same mechanical patterns found on Earth would be the best in an extraterresetial setting as well. Regardless, the entertainment value is there, for at least myself.
This doc got me thinking about the type of "life" that would exist elsewhere.
Outside side of life on a cellualar level, I think insects or a type of them would be the most likely "alien" we could find. Roachs and many other insects can withstand harsh and various conditions and they adapt extremely well.
Scientists think the Universe will stop expanding and implode at some point.
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/03/26/co...d%3D633817
This is not scientific by any means, but I just recently watched
Interstellar If you are not familiar with this movie, it brings some great ideas and visuals to possibilities of human existence and direction. It's worth the time, I highly recommend it. 
@Pckts : I saw this movie 3 days ago... Very very good film even if the basic premise gets me excited a little bit: Earth is exhausted, thus the humanity has to seek and find an other planet. The mankind failure is already recorded. I know, this is just a movie but this is too facile !
But yes, a very good movie. (04-02-2015, 12:04 PM)'Spalea' Wrote: @Pckts : I saw this movie 3 days ago... Very very good film even if the basic premise gets me excited a little bit: Earth is exhausted, thus the humanity has to seek and find an other planet. The mankind failure is already recorded. I know, this is just a movie but this is too facile ! It was a great movie, but it wasn't the earth that was exhausted, it was oxygen. Different species have learned to survive in extreme conditions that would not be suited for us, but its splitting hairs. But its scary since its the direction we go with every tree that is cut down and every greenhouse emission that is spewed back in our atmosphere. Radiation from the sun and a destroyed ozone layer could very well be the end of us and probably will be if a long enough time passes. I mean, one way or another, every star burns out, ours will to. Our job is to prolong that and protect our species and in turn the earth for as long as we can. I don't want to give it all away, but the end of the movie is crazy. Imagine that we are doomed to go that path? Think about how different our lives would be, its something I would never want for our future. But either way, the movie leaves you with your mouth open and questioning lots of things. It was great.
@Pckts : if oxygen is exhausted, the life on Earth will become problematic... For the humanity this will not be possible to stay. And why does the oxygen become scarce on Earth ? Because of the pollution, thus because of the humanity action and activity. This movie ratifies this probable fact in a few decades... And of course, agree with you, our job is to protect the life on Earth, the wild life on Earth and to do the best we can. But I am not sure we really want that !
Now let us assume this fact for sure and let us watch and accept this movie. And so, I am like you, I never stop thinking about the matters it raises, pictures it shows... In short it is fascinating !
@Spalea they really don't go into why oxygen is decreasing in the movie but either way, no oxygen/decreased oxygen = the end of most mammals. I still hold hope that most of mankind wants to protect our world and I truly believe most are trying, its just a very slow process and it will take our kids, kids, kids to do it. But I think we are in the midst of a change that will hold true for generations to come. Remember when everybody thought man was going to destroy it self in a nuclear war, now the idea seems ludicrous to most, aside from certain countries that are stuck in the old times and under a forced rule. But even those places are starting to make steps forward, at least that is what I want to believe.
Ancient Indian traditions suggest that neither space nor time has an independent existence. They arise from the interactions among the building blocks of the universe. This idea is very different from the Western philosophical tradition in which space and time have long played central roles. But the notion of space and time as derived from deeper ingredients is one that many scientists are now adopting.
http://cosmos.nautil.us/short/118/why-an-expert-on-black-holes-reads-the-bhagavad-gita 
Open the link for view the full article.
NASA Telescope Reveals Largest Batch of Earth-Size, Habitable-Zone Planets Around Single Star Feb. 22, 2017 RELEASE 17-015 
Ok, this topic is not from animal world, But its certainly an interesting topic. I was discussing this with someone last day and I recalled my old days of reading and discussing on these topics, probably one of my favorite topic in my childhood.
So, I thought to dedicate at least one thread for this. We can discuss any thing related to universe, galaxy and other cosmic things. For us, the largest thing is universe, but some theory also suggest our universe is just one small thing in this mult-universe realm .. Realm ?? Or something else ? different universe have different laws.. What do you think about this boundary-less and imagination-less ..... ? I suggest to watch this video |
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